Mums celebrate their baby's 'birthday frosting' with cute snaps

Admittedly, while we have seen it before, we have never heard the vernix that some babies are born with being called "birthday frosting" – but we kind of love it. 

A Facebook page called Birth Without Fear posted a picture of a newborn baby covered in the white, waxy substance, and urged mums to celebrate it rather than go "ewww".

Explaining that it is a protective layer from the ammonia in the amniotic fluid, they wrote: "New research has shown that the smell of #vernix can even trigger the "love" hormone in the parent of a newborn."

And mums were quick to share their very own pictures of their infants covered in the "frosting" – have a look here: 

So what exactly does the "frosting" do?

Well, according to research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, the vernix contains antimicrobial proteins that protect against group B strep, E. coli and other perinatal pathogens. It is also meant to be a very good moisturiser. 

And because it contains such good stuff, mums are urged to delay bathing their baby for at least 24 hours if they are born with the cheese-like substance on them (obviously check with your doctor or midwife first).